Among patients receiving hemodialysis who become infected with SARS-CoV-2, prior SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is associated with reduced risk for severe COVID-19, according to a study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Debasish Banerjee, MD, FASN, FHEA, FRCP, and colleagues conducted a multicenter observational study in a hemodialysis population during vaccine rollout. SARS-CoV-2 infection was identified in 1,323 patients, including 79% of unvaccinated patients, 7% after a first dose of the vaccine, and 14% after a second dose. Most patients had a mild course, but 39% were hospitalized and 13% died. Greater illness severity was seen in association with older age, diabetes, and immune suppression. Prior two-dose vaccination was associated with a 75% reduction in the risk for admission and an 88% reduction in deaths compared with no vaccination after adjustment for age, comorbidity, and period. In patients older than 65 or with increasing time since vaccination, there was no loss of protection.
